NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has retained four wards out of the five seats in the municipal bypoll in the national capital. The Congress managed to win one seat while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in three civic bodies for about 14 years, drew a significant blank.
The AAP managed to wrest the Shalimar Bagh ward from the BJP, where its candidate Sunita Mishra defeated the saffron party’s Surbhi Jaju by a margin of 2,705 votes.
The highlight of the bypoll is AAP’s loss in Chauhan Banger ward, where Congress candidate Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad defeated his nearest rival AAP candidate Mohammad Ishraq Khan by 10,642 votes.
Victory margin in this ward is the largest. AAP candidate Dhirender Kumar won the Kalyanpuri ward by 7,043 votes. AAP’s Vijay Kumar defeated BJP’s Om Prakash by a margin of 4,986 votes in Trilokpuri.
Ram Chander of the AAP also won Rohini C ward, which was with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) earlier. According to the Delhi State Election Commission, the AAP polled the highest 46.10 per cent votes in the bypoll, followed by 27.29 per cent by the BJP and 21.84 per cent by the Congress.
The BJP failed to open its account in the bypolls, being seen as the semi-final ahead of the civic polls due in 2022, and even lost the Shalimar Bagh seat held by it to the AAP.
"We honour the mandate given by people. Losing Shalimar Bagh North is a matter of introspection. The shortcomings will be removed and I am sure BJP will win the elections for three municipal corporations in 2022," said Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta.
Wednesday’s results don’t impact political equations in north and east municipal corporations as the BJP has a comfortable majority.
However, it is certainly a matter of concern for the party as Shalimar Bagh ward has been its stronghold. Political parties believe that the results may impact the upcoming elections.
Post results, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerjiwal said that the people of the city want the AAP also in municipal corporations.
“The people of Delhi have once again voted in the name of work. Congratulations to all. The people are fed up with misrule of the BJP at MCD for 15 years. People are desperate to bring the AAP to rule the MCD,” CM tweeted.
According to the State Election Commission, the AAP polled the highest 46.10 per cent votes in the bypolls, followed by 27.29 per cent by the BJP and 21.84 per cent by the Congress.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a tweet congratulated the party workers for the victory and said people were fed up with the BJP and would bring in Kejriwal's politics of honesty and work, in MCD polls next year.
The AICC incharge of Delhi Congress Sh aktisinh Gohil said party candidate Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad's record victory reflected affection of people and hard work by Congress candidates.
Ahmad's victory margin was the highest in the bypolls for the five wards.
"Congress candidate Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad won from Chauhan Bangar ward by a record-breaking margin of over 10,000 votes in municipal corporation bypolls. This is victory of affection of Delhi people, their confidence in our young candidate and hard work by Congress workers and leaders," Gohil tweeted.
More than 50 per cent votes were cast in the bypolls for the five municipal wards held on February 28.
(With PTI Inputs)